September 2012

09/28/2012

As we approach October, I was reminded of a post locked away in our archives. Imagine that a haze of dust just settled over you as you read. I'm not sure if Bike Kill is still going on or not, it typically goes on around Halloween. Any NYC dwellers with knowledge please feel free to comment as I highly recommend making plans to attend if it is still going on. Begin . . .

There are those who dabble in bike hacking, then there are those who take to hacking with a blazing hot blow torch and a Mad Max mentality. The Black Label Bike Club takes hacking to a galaxy far, far away. I had the opportunity to attend the Black Label feature event, Bike Kill, in 2006.

What the heck is Bike Kill?

Well, think of everything normal and safe related to cycling, and then think of the exact opposite. All events are built around a bunch of bikes that have been hacked to the nth degree.
It is basically Mad Max with bikes. Bikes with cages built around them meant for ramming other bikes, or people as the case may be. Frames welded one on top of the other. Steam roller bikes, choppers, bikes with off centered wheels, chariots, and bikes with frames that swivel.

People then ride these contraptions exactly the opposite as they should; intoxicated and with no helmets, and in a hostile environment no less. Most events include having random objects tossed at the contestants: namely beer cans, rotten food, and tires.

Events include: attempts to ride over large piles of debris including old mattresses that are from who knows where, chariot races, a contest to see who could drink a six-pack of beer the fastest, while riding of course, and there are also jousts that take place, but we rolled out before that competition took place.
Here are a few pictures of some modified rides.

There are a bunch of additional photos on this Flickr site and this photo site.
For moving pictures of the mayhem you can enjoy this Youtube video.

09/27/2012

This is a quick piece of advice I have for riders based upon something I encounter every day on my commute. I will start with this picture -

Basically the path I ride on goes from wide to narrow for short stretch, and the narrow part just barely gives two riders room to pass each other. The issue is that when some riders see me coming at them on the narrow stretch, they freak out a bit and stop pedaling.

I am no physics expert, but the problem in simple terms is that when people stop pedaling, they start to wobble and have less control. If you just keep pedaling, even if you are not pedaling hard, it is EASIER to control your bike and keep going in a straight line. I am sure someone out there can more eloquently explain this, and I welcome readers to do so in comments.

Moral of the story, forward motion can be good for controlling your whip on narrow pathways. Carry on . . .

09/26/2012

I would like to believe that all bikes are made to be ridden, cherished, and enjoyed, but I know this is not the case. Some bikes are not made to last and some riders do not maintain their whips the way they should. The result is often bikes that are tossed aside, damaged beyond repair, or unwanted. This is not all bad news though, some unloved bikes can be repurposed for other enjoyment/utility.

Reader Tyler contacted with a cool story about a community that had a need, a need he helped fulfill by repurposing some old bikes. Readers with repurposing stories are always welcome to contact us. Take it away Tyler . . .

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I have built up a gate made entirely out of bicycles. The gate is 17 feet long and about 7 feet high, it is composed of many old bike frames welded together along many old wheels of varying size to fill in the gaps. The wheels are held in place using bike chain. The gate is fully functional (opens and closes) and incorporates a full bike on the end that you use to open the gate (push on the handlebars and wheel it open.)

It is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It was built for a community garden and uses all recycled materials except for the threaded gate hinge bolts which were bought new. I was approached to build a gate by one of the individuals spearheading the construction of the garden and I jumped at the chance. I don't happen live in the neighbourhood that the garden is being constructed, but I wanted to be a part of the project for several reasons.

Yellowknife is a pretty remote place with a relatively harsh climate, and to live our modern day, first world, conveience-driven lives up here is not exactly a sustainable practice. I wanted to build the bike gate as a supportive gesture to all the people who are willing to raise a garden in the sub-arctic area in which we happen to find ourselves. I was more than willing to donate my time to create a piece of functional art.

The gate consist of over a dozen frames and a bunch of wheels of varving size. The rims that are in between the rear triangles of the sets of bikes can spin for a fun effect. The other rims that fill the gaps are held in place using bike chain.

The bikes were all junkers that had been either fished out of the nearby lake, donated by members of the community or found at the local dump. The only items that were purchased were the threaded hinge bolts and accompanying washers/nuts.

The total time for this project was about 24 hours. Several hours were spent stripping all the rusted parts off of the bikes. About 12 hours were spent cutting, grinding and welding it together, with the remaining time spent hanging it.

09/25/2012

I think what I have are great ideas for bike products all of the time. I think of them, and then I realize it would take a great deal of energy to make the ideas a reality, and even then the likelihood of success is questionable. I don't know the exact number of new products that don't succeed, but I'm guessing it's pretty high. I guess it's too bad I did not think of a site like Kickstarter where everyone with the next big idea can get someone else to pay for it.

While I might not be the creator/innovator of a new product, maybe I can play a part in making a new product a reality. Bike Hacks was contacted by the brains behind a new bike that is in development. The bike is called FABIKE and I thought it would be cool to interview the creator, Fabio. Fabio has more than bike design skill because his native language is not English and yet he pulled off a stellar interview.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live, how did you get interested in biking, etc.? And have you worked in the bike industry previously?

I was born in a small town in Italy where I grew up and lived for 21 years. In 2001 I moved first to Milan and then to Torino to study and start my career in the design Industry, and since then I’ve been working in this industry for important international brands. Three years ago I moved from Italy to Prague.

During these years I’ve never been directly working in the bicycle industry, although I had a big cycling heritage coming from the past of my family! Already in the early 50’ my uncle, assisted by my father, was bringing glory to my little town with his cycling team. After them many of my cousins followed up the tradition, but I’ve always been more interested in bicycles than in cycling if that makes sense.

Bicycles were a big part of my childhood. I completely disassembled and reassembled a race bicycle when I was only 11, and at 15 I saw for the first time how to build a bike frame. Only after few years I moved to Milan and I realized the richness of the knowledge I accumulated during my childhood and I got passionate about the urban cycling. I just discovered it was the best transportation possible in a city.

How long have you been riding and what is your coolest bike memory?

How long I have been riding? Since I remember! Ok, let’s say that as an adult I’ve been seriously cycling almost every in the city since 2004. I think my coolest bike memory is a trip from Stockholm to Prague done in 10 days, on a fixed gear (not all the way cycling though, sometimes I jumped on a train too).

Is riding a part of your daily life? What bike(s) do you ride?

Definitely! I ride my bike almost every day. I use it to go to my office and back, I go shopping, for a drink with friend and for some short trips during the weekend. It happens of course to leave it at home time to time, sometimes I enjoy also walking and taking the public transit.

Actually I own and ride three different bikes:

- A Jamis Sonik – fixed gear.

- An old German Kotter race bike from the 80s (I bought that second hand because I could mount on it up to a 700x32 tyre, impossible to do with the modern race bikes).

- The prototype of the FABIKE – usually in single speed (freewheel) configuration.

What inspired you to create the FABIKE?

When I moved to Prague three years ago I had to face a different environment than I was used to in Milan and Torino. Prague is a very hilly city, the surfaces are always rough in the center due to cobblestones almost everywhere, and in the winter the roads are often snowy or icy.

In these conditions I realized that my fixed gear was really tough to ride, that a normal race bike wouldn’t have been much better and that my old Kotter with big tyres was not anyway satisfying me from the point of view of performance and weight.

At that point I started designing the FABIKE, a bike that could satisfy a demanding urban cyclist in all the need and situations he might be facing. Super light weight, comfortable, agile, safe, able to change from fixed to geared, and why not… with a cool look!

The bike industry is pretty crowded, what is it about the FABIKE that will make it stand out?

One of the most important features of the FABIKE are its dropouts, designed in a new way never seen before. They are some vertical dropouts enabling you to switch from 120 mm to 130 spacing (with or without hanger) and slide them with a micro adjustment so that if you use them in fixed version you don’t need any chain tensioner.

This system, together with the possibility to mount up to a 700x35 tyre makes the FABIKE the only “three bikes in one” specifically thought for the urban cycling. You don’t need any more to have a fixed gear bike, a geared bike and an off road bike, you can now have all of them in one with a super light weight and saving space in your flat/garage.

How far along are you in making the project a reality? How are you raising money to run the business?

At this point the project is practically ready to be put into production, the only thing we are missing is… the money to start. For this reason we will be seeking to raise money via one famous crowd funding platform where individuals can help fund new product ideas. We hope that people will help us to make this big dream become true. We will let BikeHacks.com know when we have chosen a fund generation site.

Where will the bike be manufactured?

The FABIKE frame will be produce in China (like almost all of the big producers do) under our strict supervision and quality check. The components will be produced partly in Taiwan and partly in Italy. The final step of painting and assembling will be done in Italy too.

How many people are working on the project right now?

At the moment we are 6 people: me, an architect (my cousin), a mechanical engineer, a cycling couch (another cousin), a sales person, a business start-up expert.

Bicycle theft is a big issue in urban areas but I have yet to see a bike company integrate theft deterrent technology into their products - locks and such are a separate industry. Have you thought about integrating anti-theft ideas into your design since it is aimed at an urban market?

We thought about this possibility for some time, but finally we decide that even if we would have come up with a nice idea “integrated” in the bike it would have made the bike only heavier and less performing but not safer than using a good lock. So, we abandoned the idea.

Do you have a price point in mind?

Yes, we do have a price point in mind, but I would prefer not to declare it here. Of course you can imagine that a bike with this materials, technology and performances can’t be for everyone. Though, especially considering the prices of the other bikes available on the marker with the same weight of the FABIKE, we think that our price will appeal to many cyclists that are looking for a real high-end bike specifically thought for the city.

Anyway, stay tuned for new on a fund generation site where soon the bike will be offered at a special price and with international delivery included.

A large number of BikeHacks.com readers like to attach things to their bikes, are you going to offer a lot of braze-ons so that people can get creative with what they add to the bike?

We do have in mind few braze-ons to propose to our customers to get creative with their bike, but for the moment we decided to start with the bike only and introduce them later. Now we want to focus as much as possible on the bicycle itself and not get distracted by other things.

Anyway the FABIKE uses all the most common standards for seat post, handlebar, pedals and things like this, so, the people will be easily able to add on the FABIKE all the lights, mud guards etc available on the market.

What is one bike related product you could not live without?

I wouldn’t call it a product, but one thing I can’t really live without are all the blogs, forums and portals related to bicycles and all those people passionate about urban cycling that everyday make me feel like cycling has had renaissance, and that I have spent more than two years of my life for something meaningful. Thanks to all of you people!

Do you have a bike hack you have come up with to share with our readers?

Well, as I said one of the most important and innovative parts of the bike are the dropouts. It’s now fun to see how it was the very first attempts to make some interesting dropouts. These images are from more than three years ago.

09/24/2012

Some flats can be fixed with a simple patch, others require a boot. For those not familiar with the term, a boot is commonly used to cover a tear in the sidewall of a tire. A patch can work well for a small hole in a tube that does not cause much damage to the tire, but if the hole in the tire is large enough, or if the tire tears, the tube will protrude when filled with air. Boots are not really meant to be a permanent solution, they are meant simply to get you home or to a shop where you can get a new tire.

Some companies like Park Tool sell tire boots, but reader Al sent along a simple hack for making your own. All writes:

My hack is cutting old road tires for tire boots. It works really well on tubeless set ups because of the sealant you can not use a sticker type boot or patches.

Step 1 Cut bead with good diagonal cutters

Step 2 Cut beads out with scissors

Step 3 Now cut large, medium or small boots out of tire snake. Boot goes in side of tire held by tube. This works really well with MTB tubeless cuts.

Also good for covering chain stays or top tubes.

Tailwinds to you,

Al

You can also use money to solve the problem, but not in the way you might think. If for some reason the video below does not play click here.

If you are on the road and have a problem with your tire bead tearing, see this old post for a temporary zip tie solution to get you home. And for possibly the most creative hack we have ever received for preventing a flat altogether, see this classic bike hacks post.

09/21/2012

Some bike hacks are elegant and you might not even notice them. Other bike hacks can be spotted a mile away and cause your jaw to drop. I am guessing the reader Michael's jaw dropped when he spotted the following. All text and pictures are credited to Michael.

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Hornby Island is a small island off the east coast of the larger Canadian island of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The locals tend to be artsy types that live paycheque to paycheque. Typically they support their art habit and laid back island lifestyle with self-taught handyman skills.

My wife and I recently encountered this sketchy set up that appears to part of a window washing business. The ladder does double duty as the trailer and holds the extension brushes. The re-purposed bike trailer at the far end holds the smaller stuff.

The front end is attached to the bike via a couple of strips of strapping and cannibalized bike tubing that swings (and grinds) the seat post and the main frame. Check out the tread on thosetires...

The rear end makes use of the ladder's hollow rungs and the cross piece of the trailer. A second cross piece prevents the trailer from "rocking" fore and aft.

It actually has the seed of a good idea for a bike trailer that could be used for long loads such as surfboards, or boats.

09/20/2012

There are some things I don't completely understand. For example, in all the years that I did drive a car daily, I never once thought to myself, "How cool would it be to capture my drive on film?" And yet one of the things that more and more every day cyclists are doing is coming up with creative ways to capture their ride. Some videos end up being entertaining, mostly the ones where riders get into fights with motor vehicle operators, but for the most part I just don't get it.

This is just my opinion of course, and who am I to stand in the way of interesting hacks to capture an epic commute. Reader Michael sent along the following:

The following installment is how I mount my camera to my bike. In
the pictures you can see I use a upside down seatpost rack and use a used inner tube being
cut to a short length for fasting the camera on my bike.

09/19/2012

I am happy to say that due to the generosity of another company, I have hit blackjack when it comes to batteries used to power light related products when I ride. That's right, thanks to the gentleman behind the EZ2B Seen NEON helmet light, I have hit 21 batteries. My goal of being visible from space while I commute at night is a step closer to reality. The following is from my first email exchange regarding this new product -

The NEON is a new patent pending lighted bicycle helmet cover that gets
bicyclists seen by motorists when it’s dark outside. The NEON produces a
very bright “Neon” like light that is easily visible to drivers at
night. The NEON is one-size-fits-all, youth through adult and slips
directly over a riders existing bicycle helmet. It comes in 4 colors
and weighs only 6.6 ounces including 2 AA batteries.

Here is what the NEON looks like out of the box (batteries not included). I chose orange.

And here is what it looks like on my helmet.

Notice that I am one of those dorks who wears a helmet mirror and the two products can inhabit the same helmet without conflict. The battery pack and associated wire connector fit in dual pockets in the back of the unit.

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The unit is turned on easily by depressing a button on the battery unit (easy to reach behind your head) and has three modes - steady, slow, and fast. Here is mine in action -

As far as a review, I can say I am 100% satisfied. Let me count the ways . . .

1. Easy to install - slips on the helmet very quickly.

2. Easy to turn on - if you can touch your nose with your finger you can turn this thing on or off with ease.

3. It gets noticed - the first two times I road with it an oncoming cyclist yelled, "Nice helmet!"

4. Easy to power - 2 AA batteries make this thing easy to power.

I do have a couple of notes that curious readers might be interested in. First, the battery pack does make a slight high pitched whining noise.
The company is aware of this and has been working on it, but to no
avail thus far. The thing is, it does not matter when you are riding
with it because with wind noise, and even without wind noise, it is
impossible to notice. The battery pack is at the rear, behind your
ears, and even ambient "quiet" noise makes the whining imperceptible
when I am wearing my helmet.

Second, when first wearing the helmet with the NEON on it, it did take me a ride or two to get used to the weight in the batteries in the back. It's no big deal, after 2 or 3 rides I did not even notice any longer, but like anything else, if you make a slight change to something you wear you are likely to notice if for a short time.

Third, the material the NEON is made out of is vented with holes so your head can breathe. This is nice because the amount of heat that comes out of my head is quite copious.

I am not sure how long one set of batteries will last as I have only been riding with it for about a week now, but my guess is that it will last quite a while. All in all I give the product a five zip tie rating. For more information visit the EZ2BSeen web site.

09/18/2012

One common question I get from people who find out I ride my bike to work is, "What about your clothing?" I actually must present myself as a professional person during normal business hours, but you would never know it if you saw me on my bike. I never ride in my business clothing. I will save my thoughts on clothing transport for a future entry, but reader Brian sent along his hack for transporting clothing without all the wrinkles. Take it away Brian . . .

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I live in a very hot, humid climate (Eastern North Carolina), but I wear a sport coat or suit jacket for my job. From May to September, wearing the coat during my daily commute is pretty much out of the question.

So, I made this rack so I can hang my coat and transport it without wrinkling. It works with a Wald folding rear basket*, which I recommend in any case. So, besides the basket, you'll need a floor lamp -- the cheap box-store variety that students tend to have in their dorms, and then throw out. Something like this. I found mine out at the curb on trash day -- thanks, neighbor!

The only parts of the lamp you'll need are the pole itself and the threaded clamp that holds the pole to the base. You'll also need a little extra sheet metal (I used the lid from a cookie jar), and some nylon zip ties. I used a garment bag with handles that loop over the pole, and a strap (originally for holding the two handles together) that fits perfectly around the pole.

Once you've installed the base, you can screw the pole on or off in seconds. The base doesn't interfere with the folding of the basket.

Coming home in the evening, I'll often clip an extra blinky light to the top of the garment bag, or even (for full nerd effect) put a reflective vest over the garment bag.

09/17/2012

Sometimes we want the best of both worlds, and at times companies deliver. Taco Bell came up with the Doritos taco. Dairy Queen's Heath Bar Blizzard is genius. At other times, a product might not work exactly the way we would like it to. Reader Leighton wanted his favorite grease to work with his favorite grease dispenser and did not let a little compatibility issue stop him. All text and pictures below are credited to Leighton. If readers have hacked a favorite maintenance product in some way, please feel free to send our way.

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Finish Line's grease injection pump gun is fantastic, but I prefer Phil's waterproof grease. Alas, FL's supposedly "standard" thread, 9/16", doesn't seem so standard: It won't accept tubes of either Phil or Park grease. Don't let that stop you though: You can make it work for about $5, albeit with a few tools. Naturally you'll need a FL grease gun and a tube of Phil's fantastic grease.

First, at your local hardware store, buy a 9/16" bolt in mild steel (as soft as possible, basically) and two rubber O-rings (try the plumbing supplies section). The first should fit snugly around the top of the tube of Phil, the second around the bolt. Before you buy the bolt, verify that it will thread easily into the FL grease gun.

Cut off the bolt with a hacksaw about 3/16" (5mm) from the head. Clean the threads with a small file and ensure that it goes all the way into the FL grease gun's opening.

Drill a pilot hole in the center of the bolt head with an 1/16" drill all the way through. From there, gradually increase the drill size until you get to 11/32" (that's a lot of drill bits). This is best done with a drill press, but a hand drill will work as well, though with more effort and less accuracy. That done, use a 10mm/1.25mm tap to thread the newly created passage in the bolt. You don't have to go all the way through, as the opening of the Phil tube is only about 5mm deep, but if you feel like it, go for it.

Put the large O-ring over the bolt, the small O-ring over the threads of the Phil tube, and thread the whole thing together.

Squeeze the tube of Phil until you work out all the air in the system; when the pump's action hardens up, you know you're there. And now you've got the best of Phil and Finish Line.